One of the most storied rivalries in the history of not just the NBA but all of sports is renewed tonight in Southern California on NBC and Peacock when the Los Angeles Lakers (34-21) welcome the Boston Celtics (36-19) to crypto.com Arena.

This is the second of a four-game road trip for the Celtics who opened the swing out West with a 121-110 win up the coast at Golden State. Payton Pritchard led the way on offense with 26 off the bench. Jaylen Brown added 23 as Boston won for the seventh time in their last eight games.

The Lakers have won two in a row following Friday night’s win over the Clippers, 125-122. Luka Doncic scored 38 points in 38 minutes and Austin Reaves added 29 to pace the attack for Los Angeles.

LeBron James and the Lakers currently sit atop the Pacific Division and in fifth overall in the Western Conference but just one game behind third place Denver. The Celtics sit atop the Atlantic Division by one game over the Knicks and in second overall in the Eastern Conference, six games behind the Detroit Pistons.

This is the second of two regular season meetings between these cross-country rivals. Boston won the previous game on December 5, 126-105. All five starters for the Celtics finished in double figures. Jaylen Brown led the way with 30 points. Sam Hauser came off the bench to knock down four of seven from beyond the arc. Neither Doncic nor James dressed in that game for the Lakers. Reaves buried 36 in the loss.

Lets take a closer look at the matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

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Game Details and How to Watch Live: Celtics at Lakers

• Date: Sunday, February 22, 2026
• Time: 6:30PM EST
• Site: crypto.com Arena
• City: Los Angeles, CA
• Network/Streaming: NBC, Peacock

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Game Odds: Celtics at Lakers

The latest odds as of Sunday courtesy of DraftKings:

• Moneyline: Boston Celtics (-130), Los Angeles Lakers (+110)
• Spread: Celtics -1.5
• Total: 228.5 points

This game opened Celtics -1.5 with the Total set at 228.5.

Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule! 

Expected Starting Lineups: Celtics at Lakers

Boston Celtics

• PG Derrick White
• SG Baylor Scheierman
• SF Jaylen Brown
• PF Sam Hauser
• C Neemias Queta

Los Angeles Lakers

• PG Luka Doncic
• SG Marcus Smart
• SF Austin Reaves
• PF LeBron James
• C Deandre Ayton

Injury Report: Celtics at Lakers

Boston Celtics

• Jaylen Brown (Achlles) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game

Los Angeles Lakers

• No injuries to report

Important stats, trends and insights: Celtics at Lakers

• The Lakers are 16-10 at home this season
• The Celtics are 18-10 on the road this season
• The Lakers are 29-25-1 ATS this season / 13-12-1 at home
• The Cavaliers are 31-23-1 ATS this season / 18-9-1 on the road
• The OVER has cashed in 31 of the Lakers’ 55 games this season (31-24)
• The OVER has cashed in just 21 of the Celtics’ 55 games this season (21-34)
• The Lakers are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games
• Austin Reaves’ PRA average in his last 5 games is 32.4
• Sam Hauser is 8-12 from 3-point range in his last 2 games

Rotoworld Best Bet

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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
 
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s Celtics and Lakers’ game:

• Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Lakers on the Moneyline
• Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Lakers +1.5 ATS
• Total: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 229.5

Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar! 

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: 

• Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
• Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) 
• Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) 
• Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)